Outline Louisiana's Living Traditions Homepage This homepage explores Louisiana's vast array of living traditions through a variety of mediums. Take a virtual tour of the former Creole State Exhibit, search our expansivre Photo Gallery, read online publications and articles, view maps, and further your understanding of Louisiana's folk traditions by tapping into our resources page and online bibliography. Louisiana's Traditional Cultures Introduction New Orleans South Louisiana North Louisiana Other Groups Conclusion   The Creole State Exhibit The Creole State Exhibit is a virtual version of an exhibit that was located in the Louisiana State Capitol from June 1985 until June 2002. The artifacts are now on loan to the Louisiana State Museum for exhibits planned for the new State Museum in Baton Rouge. Exhibit Introduction Cultural Conservation Exhibit Categories: Folk Toys Ritual, Festival & Religion Domestic Crafts Decorative Folk Arts Occupational Crafts Folk Instruments Virtual Books Folklife in the Florida Parishes Keeping It Alive: Cultural Conservation Through Apprenticehip - A Review of the Louisiana Folklife Program Swapping Stories Learning From Your Community Gifts From The Hills He's The Prettiest: A Tribute to Big Chief "Tootie" Montana's 50 Years of Mardi Gras Indian Suiting Splittin' on the Grain: Folk Art in Clifton, Louisiana   Voices of Louisiana   Articles and Essays These articles have appeared in the Louisiana Folklife Festival program books, the Louisiana Folklore Miscellany, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival program book, and other publications. They are categorized according to subject. General Information The Creole State: An Introduction to Louisiana Traditional Culture Nicholas R. Spitzer Louisiana's Traditional Cultures: An Overview Maida Owens Regional and Cultural Groups Caddo Homecoming Dayna Bowker Lee Cane Brakes, High Water, Drought: The Mississippi Delta Tom Rankin Cane River Creole Community Dayna Bowker Lee Choctaw Heritage of Louisiana and Mississippi Deborah Boykin A Commentary: African Cultural Retentions in Louisiana Charles E. Siler Croations in Southeastern Louisiana -- Overview Carolyn Ware Customs, Traditions, and Folklore of Rural Southern Italian-America Community Henry P. Becnel, Jr. East Baton Rouge and Livingston Parishes Maida Owens Bergeron ans Joyce Marie Jackson Excerpts from the Anonymous Breaux Manuscript Translated by George Reinecke From Evangeline Hot Sauce to Cajun Ice: Signs of Ethnicity in South Louisiana Barry Jean Ancelet He's the Prettiest: A Tribute to Big Chief "Tootie" Montana by Kalamu ya Salaam (with an introduction by William Fagaly) Gifts from the Hills: North Central Louisiana Folk Traditions by Susan Roach Indians and Folklife in the Florida Parishes H.F. "Pete"Gregory Jewish Folklore in Northeastern Louisiana Ben Sandmel The Felicianas Susan Garrett Davis The Florida Parishes: An Overview Joel Gardner Hungarian Folklife in the Florida Parishes of Louisiana Virginia Romero Louisiana French Folklore and Folklife Barry Jean Ancelet Louisiana Native Americans: An Overview H.F. "Pete" Gregory Making a Home in the Delta: Women and the Domestic Environment Deborah Boykin Mardi Gras Indians: Culture and Community Empowerment Michael Smith Noms de Bayou: French Place Names in North Louisiana Kelby Ouchley North Louisiana Folklife Traditions and Research: An Overview Susan Roach The Northshore - St. Tammany Parish Janice Dee Gilbert Ouachita River Mounds: A Five Millennium Mystery Lori Tucker The Piney Woods - Tangipahoa, St. Helena, Washington Parishes Joy J Jackson Splittin' on the Grain: Folk Art in Clifton, Louisiana Shari Miller and Miriam Rich Le Voisinage: Evolution of Community in Cajun Country Dana David Vietnamese Folklife in New Orleans Kathy Kilbourne West of the Ouachita: Conserving the Heritage of the Pine Hills and River Valley of North West Louisiana Material Culture/ Crafts and Foodways All-Day Singing and Dinner on the Ground Shana Walton Choctaw Split Cane Basketry Dayna Bowker Lee Crafts from the "Back Days" Claude Medford Field Notes on All Saints' Day, 1985 and 1986 Rosan Augusta Jordan and Frank de Caro Folk Art in the Clifton Community Shari Miller and Miriam Rich Folk Crafts: A Hand-Me-Down Tradition C. Ray Brassieur From Custom to Coffee Cake: The Commodification of the Louisiana King Cake Janet Ryland He's the Prettiest: A Tribute to Big Chief Alllison "Tootie" Montana Kalamu ya Salaam (with an introduction by William Fagaly) Georgie and Allen Manuel and Cajun Wire Screen Masks Ronnie E. Roshto "In My Father's House": North Louisiana Gravehouses as Art and Technology Marcy Franton "Keep Your Mind and Your Hands Busy:" Expressive Dimensions of the Lone Wuilter Susan Roach Louisiana Boatbuilding: An Unfathomed Fortune C. Ray Brassieur Louisiana Cooking: A Way of Life Ulysses S. Ricard Louisiana's Food Traditions: An Insider's Guide Maida Owens Louisiana Foodways in Ernest Gaine's A Lesson Before Dying Courtney Ramsay Mr. K-Doe Goes to Washington: The Monumental New Orleans R&B Star Barnstorms the Capital City Ben Sandmel Making Tamales in Northwestern Lousiana Dayna Bowker Lee Material Cultural Landscape of the Florida Parishes in Historical Perspective Milton B. Newton, Jr. Textile Uses in the Home of Central Louisiana Czechs Rose Walker Traditional Quiltmaking in Louisiana Susan Roach Music Traditions At Play in the Delta Michael Luster Brownie Ford: Lifelines of a Woods Cowboy Nicholas R. Spitzer Cajun Music: Alive and Well in Louisiana Ann Savoy Cajun Music as Oral Poetry Carolyn Ware Clapping On Two and Four Kalamu ya Salaam Country Chameleons: Cajuns on the Louisiana Hayride Tracey E. W. Laird "Don't Give Up Your Day Job:" Country Music Terry A. Seelinger "From Country to City: The Blues and Gospel in the Florida Parishes and Baton Rouge Ben Sandmel Hayride Boogie: Blues, Rockabilly and Soul from the Louisiana Hill and Delta Country Michael Luster J.D Miller and Floyd Solieau: A Comparison of Two Small Town Recordmen of Acadiana Shane Bernard The Hiding and Watching Louisiana I-20 Blues Nicholas Rey Deriso The Gospel Train: The Zion Travelers Spiritual Singers Dr. Joyce Jackson Music in the Black Churches Joyce M. Jackson Pretty, Little, and Fickle: images/ of Women in Cajun Music Laura Westbrook The North Louisiana String Band Susan Roach Public and Private Domains of Cajun Women Musicians in Southwest Louisiana Lisa Richardson Rockin' the Country, North Louisiana Style Michael Luster Since Ol' Gabriel's Time: Hezikiah and the Houserockers Liner Notes David Evans Twisting at the Fais Do-Do: Swamp Pop in South Louisiana Shane K. Bernard Occupational Traditions Big River Traditions: Folklife on the Mississippi River Ben Sandmel Calling the Cotton Press Donald W. Hatley Deer Hunting with Dogs Terry Jones The McNeill Street Pumping Station Dayna Bowker Lee "A Man Can Stand, Yeah:" Ranching Traditions in Louisiana Jane Vidrine Oilfield Lore Ben Sandmel Riding Clubs in Central Louisiana Lore Dayna Bowker Lee Shrimping in Louisiana: Overview of a Tradition Laura Landry Waiting for Babies: Lay Midwives in Louisiana Maida Owens "Willing to Take A Risk:" The Folklore of Cropdusting Susan Roach and Janet Ryland "Willing to Take A Risk:" Working in the Delta Susan Roach Oral Traditions African American Oral Traditions in Louisiana Mona Lisa Saloy African American Toast Tradition Mona Lisa Saloy Political Pump: Political Storytelling in Louisiana C. Renee Harvison Still Laughing to Keep from Crying: Black Humor Mona Lisa Saloy The Stories of the Old People: Native American Storytelling H.F. "Pete" Gregory Storytelling Traditions in Louisiana C. Renee Harvison Swapping Stories in Louisiana Maida Owens and Carl Lindahl Swapping Stories: Folktales from Louisiana Carl Lindahl, Maida Owens, and C. Renee Harvison An Urban Legend: Workers Buried in a Concrete Piling of the U.S. 190 Mississippi River Bridge from the Smiley Anders column, Baton Rouge Advocate Ritual Traditions All-Day Singing and Dinner on the Ground Shana Walton Bonfires on the Levee: A Family Tradition in Ascension Parish Carol Gravois Contemporary Cauchemar: Experience, Belief, Prevention Katherine Roberts Dance for a Chicken: The Cajun Mardi Gras Pat Mire Decorating for the Shrimp Fleet Blessing: Chauvin, Louisiana Betsy Gordon Field Notes on All Saints' Day, 1985 and 1986 Rosan Augusta Jordan ans Frank de Caro If Your Eggs Are Cracked, Please Step Down: Easter Egg Knocking in Marksville Sheri Lane Dunbar "Like A River Flowing with Living Water:" Worshipping in the the Mississippi Delta Joyce Marie Jackson Louisiana Celebrations Rooted in Tradition Jane Vidrine Neither Spared nor Spoiled: The Mardi Gras Chase in Choupic, Louisiana Madeline Domangue Cagle Ritual Spaces in Traditional Louisiana Communities: Italian, Nicaraguan, and Vietnamese Altars Carolyn Ware "Take Me to the Water:" African American River Baptism Annie Staten and Susan Roach Traditional Medicines Claude Medford The Varieties of Mardi Gras Frank de Caro Le Vousinage : Evolution of Community in Cajun Country Dana David Folklore and Literature Gaines' Fifteen Narrators: Narrative Styles and Storytelling Technique in A Gathering of Old Men Marcia Gaudet Louisiana Foodways in Ernest Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying Courtney Ramsay Public Folklore Festival, Cultural Tourism, and the Louisiana Folklife Program Maida Owens Keeping It Alive: Cultural Conservation through Apprenticeships Sheri Dunbar and Maida Owens Learning from Your Community: Folklore and Video in the Schools, A Classroom Curriculum for Grades 4-8 Gail Matthews-DeNatale and Don Patterson Sample Fieldnotes: Teen Memories of Grade School Traditions Maida Owens   Self-Taught Artists Sarah Albriton Angels Watching Over Me Working in the Kitchen Clementine Hunter Cotton Pickin' Time Henry Watson Farrier   Louisiana Folklife Photo Gallery The Louisiana Folklife Photo Gallery is an online database of photographs depicting the folk cultures of Louisiana. These photographs include artists displaying and making their creations, traditional festivals and practices, and the locations where folk traditions take place such as cemeteries, houses, and churches. The Photo Gallery includes works of many folklorists and photographers. For more information about the photographers, see the Credits page.   Resources This section presents a wide array of resources centered on Louisiana Folklore and Folk Traditions. Streaming Video Clips- This collection of online clips provides a glimpse of Louisiana cultural traditions. (RealPlayer is required to view these videos. If you do not already have this software, you may download a free version at: http://www.real.com. Videotapes on Louisiana Traditional Cultures- This is a listing of videotapes available on loan at the State Library and various parish libraries. Division of the Arts Award Winners Lists- View the Division's past and current award winners, program participants, and grant recipients on this page. Louisiana Music Recordings: A Select List- Want to tap your feet to a different beat? View this page for a select listing of music unique to Louisiana. You'll find everything from zydeco, to swamp pop, to Cajun. Also get an overview of Louisiana music readily available on CD by tuning into Mike Luster's radio show, Creole Statement, heard via RealAudio, Saturdays from 7-9pm at: http://www.kedm.nlu.edu/. Louisiana Folklife Center- Established in 1976, as an agency of Northwestern State University of Louisiana, this research facility has been involved in folklife programs of public interest. It works in conjunction with the Louisiana Folklife Program housed in the Division of the Arts, and directed by Maida Owens. Louisiana Folklore Society- This organization was founded in 1956 and aims to encourage the study, documentation, and accurate representation of traditional cultures of Louisiana. Members include university professors, professional folklorists in the public sector, secondary school teachers, museum workers, graduate students, and other individuals interested in folklore. Cultural Vistas- A quarterly publication funded through the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, which brings Louisiana's best literature, photos, reviews, and features to readers everywhere. Louisiana Folklife Bibliography- If you are looking for further reading materials, videos, or audio to broaden your understanding of Louisiana folk culture, this online database is an excellent starting point. Recommended Reading- On this page you will find a list of publications and books on Louisiana Folklife that are more readily available. Refer to the Louisiana Folklife Bibliography for a more through list. Louisiana Folklife Theses & Dissertations- Get an academic perspective on Louisiana's diverse folk cultures through searching this database of theses and dissertations. Native American Organizations in Louisiana- This page provides a list of contact information on Native American organizations active in Louisiana. Swapping Stories: Folktales from Louisiana Online Resources- The Swapping Stories book, video, and website are products of the ten year Louisiana Storytelling Project, which documented Louisiana Storytellers. The project began as a collaborative effort with the Louisiana Office of Tourism's Open House 1990 Storytelling Program. Documenting Quiltmaking- This page provides a glimpse of Susan Roach's (Region 1 Folklorist) in depth research and documentation of the Quiltmaking process as exercised by North Louisiana women. Between 1979-1984 Dr. Roach interviewed 44 quilters in 10 parishes. Sample Fieldnotes: Teen Memories of Grade School Traditions- These fieldnotes and interview transcript are provided to teachers and students as an example of how one folklorist took a research idea and developed it. Atchafalaya Basin Annual Cycle- A Diagram of the annual cycle of folk activities in the Atchafalaya Basin. (Used with permission from Geoscience Publications, Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University). Louisiana Folklife: A Guide to the State- Edited by folklorist, Nicholas R. Spitzer, this resourceful publication provides an array of essays and articles by university professors, academics, and folklorists pertaining to Louisiana folklife. Spitzer was the first Louisiana Folklife Program director from 1979-1985, and currently teaches at the University of New Orleans. The Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage- This center promotes the understanding and continuity of contemporary grassroots cultures in the United States and abroad, and is responsible for producing the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, exhibitions, documentary films and videos, symposia, and educational materials.  American Routes and Louisiana Voices- This list is composed of just a sample of Louisiana musicians. To listen to audio clips, and learn more about the artists and Louisiana music, visit: American Routes / Interviews and scroll down to the person's name. If it's not listed, use the search. NOTE: This page can be used in conjunction with the Louisiana Voices Music Unit ( Unit VI - Louisiana's Musical Landscape ). Louisiana Voices and National Public Radio- National Public Radio provides an excellent resource to those seeking to learn more about Lousiana music. Listed on this page are audio clips specific to Lousiana. To listen to these clips go to National Public Radio / Audio Archives. NOTE: This page can be used in conjunction with the Louisiana Voices Music Unit ( Unit VI - Louisiana's Musical Landscape ). A Select List of Louisiana Musicians- These 35 short biographies provide a sampling of legendary Louisiana musicians who maintain Louisiana music traditions or have been heavily influenced by them. It is not meant to be exhaustive. They are divided into the three major folk regions of Louisiana: New Orleans, South Louisiana, and North Louisiana (see the Three Major Folk Subregions of Louisiana Map). This page is also an excellent supplement to the Louisiana Voices Music Unit ( Unit VI - Louisiana's Musical Landscape ). Some Louisiana Musicians- This list of Louisiana musicians who perform music traditional to Louisiana or rooted in its traditions provides additional suggestions for student research in Louisiana Voices Unit VI Lesson 6 Louisiana's Musical Legends and is not meant to be exhaustive. The list also includes musicians who are National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellows, have been recognized by Louisiana Division of the Arts programs, or are featured in Louisiana Folklife Articles - Music Traditions.   Louisiana Folklife Bibliography This database includes all works cited in the Living Traditions section of the Folklife in Louisiana website and the Louisiana Voices Educator's Guide.   Recommended Reading On this page you will find a listing of publications and books pertaining to Louisiana folklife that are more readily available. For a more thorough list, refer to the Louisiana Folklife Bibliography database.   Maps Three Major Subregions>a Nine Major Cultural Subregions Ethnic Group Locales Native American Locales North Central Louisiana More Louisiana Maps   Award Winning Folk Artists